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Some newly elected Chicago school board members are calling on the current board appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson to scrap plans to oust Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez — arguing that city residents entrusted them with that power when they voted in the city’s first school board elections last month.
They said the move would be a drastic, disruptive step mid-school year — and just weeks before a new board made up of 10 elected members and 11 Johnson appointees steps in on Jan. 15. And they are talking about possible action they can take to ward off that move.
These board members joined a chorus of Martinez supporters who voiced dismay at the board’s apparent intention to force him out at a hastily called 5:45 p.m. special meeting on the eve of winter break. Those included former Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, and Martinez’ predecessor, Janice Jackson, who called the current board’s move “dirty Chicago politics at its worst.”
Most of the elected members of the incoming board are spending the bulk of this week in new board member training put together by outside groups after the district’s board office cancelled planned sessions. Members were in the training when they got word that the current board had amended its Friday agenda to include two new agenda items: terminate Martinez or consider giving him a buyout.
“The mood in the room shifted,” said elected member Jessica Biggs. “It was deeply disappointing for everybody. It was deeply concerning.”
Biggs said the members are discussing taking some kind of legal or other action to stop the current board from voting on Martinez’ employment, but no decisions have been made.
But she said, “There’s a lot of energy around our ability to act together and lots of thoughts about doing so strategically.”
The agenda for Friday’s meeting, at 4655 South Dearborn St., also spelled out the possibility of delaying either action until a later date.
The push to replace Martinez has played out over months of twists and turns, after his relationship with Johnson soured when Martinez refused to take out a high-interest loan to cover the cost of a new teachers contract. The Chicago Teachers Union, Johnson’s former employer and close ally, has grown increasingly critical of Martinez, whose administration has pushed back on union proposals to significantly expand school staffing, lower class sizes, and more.
The union, which is pushing for a new contract by Christmas after almost seven months of negotiations, has said Martinez is standing in the way of ambitious proposals that can transform a district with a troubled history of disinvestment and deep inequities. His administration has countered that with major deficits looming and no promising avenue to secure more funding, the district simply cannot afford many of the proposals. They have also said some of the union demands would negatively impact school culture, such as a proposal to allow teachers to choose their own curriculums freely.
Some critics have said it’s ironic that the mayor and union — vocal backers of an elected school board to make decisions for the district — are supporting the eleventh-hour push by the current, fully appointed board to vote on Martinez’ post.
“We were chosen by voters to be the community’s voice and express the community’s vision for our schools,” said incoming member Carlos Rivas.
He said he worries a Martinez departure will destabilize a district that has seen a lot of leadership turnover in the past decade — and lead to the hasty adoption of costly proposals saddling CPS with debt and leaving the new board to navigate massive deficits.
Biggs acknowledged that with 11 members appointed by the mayor and four elected with backing from the CTU, the hybrid board might not reach a different conclusion on whether to keep Martinez. But, she said, “That vote would be done with transparency and with members elected by the people.”
Other voices joined in criticizing the current board’s plans, many of them also pointing to the mandate Chicagoans gave the members they elected in November. Duncan, who served at CPS CEO under former Mayor Richard M. Daley before becoming U.S. Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama, invoked that argument when he decried the plan to oust Martinez.
Duncan attended the board training on Thursday and discussed the board’s role in partnering with district leadership. He said he has been struck by the lack of acknowledgement of students’ recent academic gains and pandemic recovery in public discussion of ousting Martinez.
“It’s a really smart, committed group,” he said of the elected members. “To take away their power before they have even started is mind-boggling to me.”
The advocacy group Kids First Chicago said in its own statement that the last-minute special meeting at the start of the holiday break shows disregard for the input of families and residents, giving them little chance to weigh in. It urged the board to delay the meeting until the new board is seated.
Giannoulias, the secretary of state whose name has been floated as a possible mayoral candidate, told NBC5 Chicago and other media he worked closely with Martinez on finding solutions to a statewide school bus driver shortage — and he’s a fan of his leadership.
“He’s capable, he’s smart, he’s got a great story, he’s a Chicago guy,” he said. “He’s trying to make fiscally responsible decisions for the future of CPS.”
One alderman, Debra Silverstein of the 50th Ward, wrote to the board asking to reschedule the meeting, noting that its timing during the Jewish Shabbat means that observant parents and other residents cannot attend it. “By convening at this time, you are excluding a segment of our community from participating in this important public forum,” she wrote.
Sean Harden, whom Johnson appointed last week and who is slated to be sworn in as board president Friday, spoke to Chalkbeat Wednesday before the special board meeting was announced. He declined to discuss Martinez’ future, saying it’s a personnel matter, but said the board will evaluate his leadership with an eye to how he’s delivering for students.
“When you look at the leadership of an organization, the ideals have to align and maintain a focus on students,” Harden said. “At the end of the day, that’s the priority. That is one of the responsibilities of the board to evaluate and make that determination, and at the appropriate time, we’ll do so.”
He said he feels a sense of urgency to settle the CTU contract, saying teachers are “one of our most valuable assets in society” and his focus is on creating the best possible environment for students. And he said he is excited to welcome the new board members.
“We’re making history now,” he said.
Mila Koumpilova is Chalkbeat Chicago’s senior reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Mila at mkoumpilova@chalkbeat.org.
